What Happened to Victor's Roadster

[Down under 311]

While you have it out check the clock works and if. It get it fixed - the majority don't cause what a crap job to get to it - also check all instruments are in nice and tight and screwed up.

[dbrick]

Great time to add heat/sound proofing if you were thinking of doing it.

[eastmedia]

Rob,
Here's a before picture of the bodywork.

Ron

before.jpg

[rp975]

Wow......Ron

Do you know how the damage was done?

I must say you did an amazing job of getting the roadster back into great shape, that stainless door strip must have been a job and a half to resurrect!

I know that there are many pictures of this roadster on the net, but any more photos or stories would be appreciated to fill in its history.

You mentioned that you thought it was one of the best roadsters you had driven, could you expand on that, I would be interested to know.

You obviously drove it to quite a few Datsun meetings for display and must have gotten to know the car quite well.

I am looking forward to driving the car but have a bit of work to get done first.

I have been on two Roadster runs so far, the first I went in my AMG and then last week I was passenger in Barry C's 1970 2000,
he offered for me to drive but I said I need to get used to the left hand side of the car ha!



Barry's car is the silver one.


PS I will check the clock and order some sound deadener before the dash goes back in.


Rob

[FergO2k]

Hey Robert, I just remembered something, and it might have already been undone/redone, whatever.
It is now difficult to find over-the-counter stock oil filters for the U-20, and I seem to remember way back when that Victor found out that if you cut the drainback tube inside the oil filter mount back approx 3/8", then a stock 5.0 Mustang oil filter fit perfect.
This may have ben undone some time back, since the tube is shorter it may be that a stock oil filter was put on.
next time you have the fileter off measure from the base to the top of the tube and let us know... well, me in particular, because I am thinking of doingthe same "amputation" of the tube in order to be able to get oil filters easier.

[rp975]

Hi Fergus,

No problem, when I get closer to getting it registered I will change the oil and filter, I will let you know the length of the tube.

At the moment I have all the interior out waiting for heater re-core, grommets and sound deaden-er, and working on the seats as well.
I pulled apart the tap on the heater as it was stuck shut, now it works great, new heater hoses coming.

I have a new fuel pump diaphragm kit coming and seat belts as well.

I would like to have the car ready and reliable so that I can drive it to the Australian Roadster Nationals next June.

Rob

[rp975]

Time for an update, I found that the heater had a leak in it so had the re-cored and also that the heater tap was stuck solid so I took it apart and cleaned it up and put new "O" rings in it and it seems to work great now.



I put new foam on the doors of the heater box , painted and reassembled it.



I also got a space saver spare tyre from a 280zx, it is 15" and fitts on the front hub no problems.



Here it is deflated.



Here it is inflated.



Here it is compared to the current tyre.

[rp975]

I have made a new cable for the hand throttle, I bought a 1.5mm bicycle brake cable and removed the round end, then drilled out to a depth of 5mm. On the handle end I machined a 1.5mm wide groove for the cable to be soldered in. First end to do is the handle end, then slide the cable through then measure ball end and cut the cable, then lastly solder the ball end and your done. A funny thing happened with the handle for this, it had a bodge grub screw in it with the wrong thread and it didn't fit the handle either, anyway when I had the carpets out and was cleaning the floor I found this little screw half embedded into the tar, so I pried it out and put it into my bag of bolts for the drivers side not knowing what it was from. Well last night on the way home from work I thought hey it might fit the hand throttle and it did, so for many years it had been lost... but was still there waiting to be put back.





I have put Dynamat inside the car now and have started putting the interior back in, with new pedal rubbers.






The seats were not in great shape, when you sat in them you sat on the floor basically.
So I ordered some Pirelli 2" rubber strapping and replaced the straps.



Then had some 2" high density foam cut to size, I took a template to the shop.



Put the seat cover back on with firstly the velour type material then the new foam, and the old foam on top of that.



I put the seat back together and put it back into the car, it was adjusted so that the seat back was as far back as it would go but I like a slightly bent arm length when driving so I took the seat adjusting bolts out, removed the lock nuts and machined the non threaded part of each bolt.
This means that without the lock nuts the bolts can go further down into the seat frame about another 12mm (1/2") which gives me a lot more rake than standard.



I also took about 12mm off the ends of each bolt as well.





So now I am very happy with both the comfort and the seat angle, oh I also put 12 spacers under each front seat bolt to lift the front up.

Rob

[windy311]

Wow Rob your moving along with this fast.

[jamesw]

Great idea on adding the seat foam and on the recline bolts!

[Linda]

Rob,
I'm a fan of taking the tar out of the floors since there seems to be rust forming under there anyway. Various stop rust products and sound deadners can be used after that.
You are making great progress!

Linda

[rp975]

Thanks guys and Linda,

It is coming along nicely, and going back together which is a good thing.

The car seems to have very little rust and I thought I would leave the original tar down.

My rear wheels are away getting polished and I am working on the centers in the meantime.

When my firewall grommets, glovebox and seatbelts arrive the interior can go back in.


Rob

[FergO2k]

Great job on the Dynamat and seat foam. Might want to Mat the top of the tunnel as well, it is a place where a lot of heat can come thru, and the added thickness doesn't ruin carpet fit.
Lookin' great.

[kiwi-red]

maybe Barry and I can come up for an inspection visit?

Was the run that you went on the bellbird? looked like the
car park at the pub.

I wasn't able to make the last few runs as my car was in the shop

all ok now

kiwi

[rp975]

Kiwi,

That would be great for you and Barry to come up and see my Californian Girl.


Yes it was the Bellbird Pub run, it was fun and great to meet some Roadster people.

Rob